More than 50 patients, including some requiring immediate medical treatment, were allegedly stranded at Bahrain's Salmaniya Medical Complex's (SMC) accident and emergency department last night due to shortage of beds.

The patients, all of whom had received initial treatment, needed to be admitted for 'proper follow-up procedures and observation', said sources.

'The changing season is responsible and has led to many more admissions,' said an administration official.

He said while most patients could be classified as 'non-critical', they still needed to be admitted for further tests.

'Some of the patients, who are now being looked after in the resuscitation room, can be termed as critically-ill,' said the official.

He claimed, however, they were being treated 'according to laid out procedures' and that, at no point, were their lives in any danger.

Accident and Emergency Department chairman Dr Jassim Al Mehza confirmed there were 50 patients waiting in the morning.

'We can attribute this to the weekend and the weather,' he said. 'We are hoping that this problem will sort itself out in a few days.'

He said there would be a 'decline' in the waiting list by the end of the day, but said it could build-up again.

'We are doing all we can to ensure that no critically ill person's treatment is compromised and all of them are being looked after at the resuscitation room, which is a mini intensive care unit,' said Dr Al Mehza.

He said it was unfortunate that people waited for admission, but added that hospital authorities were constantly on the job to discharge patients and replace them with new ones.-TradeArabia News Service